Report: Nottingham Forest eyeing raid on European giants for standout striker
Yesterday at 12:00 PM
The Nottingham Forest striker search has taken many twists and turns in January, with the latest rumour set to follow the same trend.
Entering the January transfer window, it was expected that Forest would renew their interest in Santiago Gimenez as Nuno Espirito Santo ramped up his search for more reliable competition for Chris Wood.
However, it seemed that Gimenez was out of the Forest manager’s mind given the lengthy wave of forwards that have been linked with a move to the club.
Forest were keen on Yoane Wissa as a particularly ambitious option from Evangelos Marinakis, whilst FC Dallas’ Petar Musa is of interest for Forest as a similar striking option to Wood.
Forest’s plans for a new forward looked to be hinging on the sale of Taiwo Awoniyi. West Ham were interested in Awoniyi but it now looks as if Forest want to keep Awoniyi as a player that Espirito Santo trusts.
A bid may come in for Awoniyi, though, so Marinakis won’t want to be caught off guard, which makes the latest name linked with the City Ground a particularly interesting one.
Nottingham Forest enter race for Francesco Pio Esposito
With Wood 33 years old, youth could well be the best option for Forest, making their reported interest in Inter Milan academy graduate Francesco Pio Esposito very promising.
According to On the Minute: ‘Nottingham Forest have joined Manchester United and Leicester City in the race to sign Inter Milan wonderkid Francesco Pio Esposito.”
Given the decision on Awoniyi looks to have been made for now, a move for a striker in January now seems unlikely but the report continued to suggest that Esposito is more of a plan for the future.
The report said: “Esposito, under contract with Inter Milan until 2027, is expected to remain in Italy during the 2025 January transfer window. However, a summer move could be on the cards.”
This could be a situation that suits all parties as it gives the Forest owner more time if he is to sell Awoniyi or add a third striker to the mix if Forest are to qualify for European football.
Esposito would certainly add a lot of threat to the Forest squad if his stats this season in Italy are anything to go by.
Francesco Pio Esposito’s meteoric rise in numbers
Esposito has been on loan at Serie B side, Spezia, for the last two seasons, where he has truly honed his craft as a striker.
| Statistic | 2024/25 so far |
| Goals | 9 |
| Shots on target per 90 | 1.24 |
| Touches in opposition box per 90 | 7.57 |
| Chances created per 90 | 1.31 |
| Aerial duels won per 90 | 5.44 |
At six foot two, Esposito is growing into a very similar frame to Wood, which is shown by his success in aerial duels so far this season. He is also managing to find the target with his shots regularly, which would stand him in good stead in the Premier League.
Something he already excels in compared to the Kiwi international is creating chances for his teammates, with Esposito creating 1.31 chances per game compared to Wood’s 0.38.
Being only 19, Esposito could truly benefit from learning his trade alongside a player of Wood’s experience, whilst providing the Forest coaching staff with unique attributes up front.
